Needlework of old topic at John Paul Jones House

Thursday

Sep 27, 2012 at 3:15 AM

PORTSMOUTH — On Saturday Sep. 29, Sandra Rux, Curator of the Portsmouth Historical Society, will present a gallery talk about the needlework sampler collection at the John Paul Jones House, 43 Middle St.

During the early part of the nineteenth century, young girls in Portsmouth generally received instruction in embroidery, most often in schools run by young women or as part of a school run for both boys and girls, such as Reverend Alden's Academy.

The Portsmouth Historical Society collection contains examples by Portsmouth girls dating from 1760 to 1840, with several of the prominent schools represented.

This talk will focus on a sampler by Anne Gerrish that was recently acquired from the Betty Ring Collection and its relationship to two other samplers in the collection and the relationship between three samplers in private collections to the one embroidered by Elizabeth Lake in the Portsmouth Historical Society Collection, with a possible attribution to a Portsmouth teacher. This is also a great opportunity to see the entire collection housed in the Merilee Possner Memorial Gallery at the John Paul Jones House.

Drawers with visible storage make it easy to compare and contrast the various samplers.

Rux will discuss the relationships among the sampler makers and their instructors.

Reservation are not necessary; for more information call Sandra Rux 436-8420 or email infoportsmouthhistory.org.